Chabelley Airport

Chabelley Airport
Summary
Airport type Military
Location Chabelley, Djibouti
Elevation AMSL  ft / 106 m
Coordinates 11°31′N 43°04′E / 11.517°N 43.067°E / 11.517; 43.067Coordinates: 11°31′N 43°04′E / 11.517°N 43.067°E / 11.517; 43.067
Map
CBA
Location of airport in Djibouti
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
10/28 8,530 2,600 Asphalt

Chabelley Airport (ICAO: HDCH), also known as the Chabelley Airfield, is an isolated airstrip in Chabelley, located some 6 miles to the southwest of Djibouti City, the capital of Djibouti.[1]

Military

Although it is operated and used by the French military,[2] in September 2013, it began serving as a temporary base for U.S. military unmanned aircraft.[3][4] The move came after the Djiboutian government expressed concern over a number of recent drone mishaps and accidents at the American Camp Lemonnier Naval Expeditionary Base, which serves as a hub for counterterrorism operations in Yemen and Somalia. The Djiboutian authorities consequently asked U.S. officials to relocate the drones to the rarely used Chabelley Airfield.[3] Thitherto, the Chabelley airstrip had been exclusively reserved in case of need for French military devices.[4] The U.S. Air Force’s 870th Air Expeditionary Squadron operates from the airfield.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Airport information for HDCH at Great Circle Mapper.
  2. 1 2 Trevithick, Joseph (5 January 2016). "This small airstrip is the future of America's way of war". Reuters. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 Whitlock, Craig; Miller, Greg (24 September 2013). "U.S. moves drone fleet from Camp Lemonnier to ease Djibouti's safety concerns". Washington Post. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  4. 1 2 "La Corne de l'Afrique, enjeu stratégique majeur". Assajog (in French). 17 November 2013. Archived from the original on November 20, 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.


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